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Civil Aviation Authority

US Air Force refueling aircraft are seen parked on the tarmac of the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on February 25, 2026. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
May 11, 2026, 4:38 pm
Civil aviation head says US refuelers at Ben Gurion are crowding out civilian planes
Shmuel Zakai laments Israel’s airport is now a ‘US military base’; warns of higher fares, lower availability because the American planes are taking up all the parking spots
By Sharon Wrobel
Passengers wait at the largely empty Ben Gurion airport on April 9, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/FLASH90)
April 15, 2026, 4:28 pm
Comptroller pans government for failing to plan for air travel turbulence during war
Report finds consumers paid high ticket prices when service was disrupted by fighting, calls for conditioning aid to industry on prioritizing national interest over profits
By Sharon Wrobel
An El Al aircraft, at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, on February 25, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
March 2, 2026, 10:44 pm
El Al readies rescue flights as Israel set to gradually reopen airspace next week
Flag carrier plans flights from 22 destinations in the US, Europe and Asia, while Arkia and Israir are starting to fly homeward-bound Israelis to the Egyptian border
By Sharon Wrobel
Illustrative: Airplanes at Ben Gurion Airport. February 11, 2026. (Nati Shohat/FLASH90)
February 27, 2026, 9:40 am
As Israel plans two new airports, experts say proposed site near Gaza won’t fly
With Ben Gurion set to reach capacity within years, international terminals are planned for the north’s Ramat David and the south’s Ziklag. Only one is grounded in common sense, analysts say
By Sharon Wrobel
Illustrative: Airplanes at Ben Gurion Airport. February 11, 2026. (Nati Shohat/FLASH90)
January 26, 2026, 5:57 am
Israeli airlines ease cancellation terms amid jitters over possible war with Iran
El Al and Arkia offering full credit refund for cancellations up to 48 hours before departure; Israir ‘cancellation shield’ customers can cancel up to 3 days before flight
By ToI Staff
An El Al flight takes off at Ben Gurion International Airport, outside of Tel Aviv, June 19, 2025. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
August 12, 2025, 6:15 pm
Paris air traffic controller radios ‘Free Palestine’ to El Al pilots just after takeoff
Incident comes after El Al’s Paris offices were defaced last week; Dutch police arrest three after Israeli embassy in The Hague vandalized and doors smashed
By ToI Staff and Nava Freiberg
Illustrative: Stranded Israelis wait in a standby queue at Heathrow Airport in London to try and get seats on an El Al flight departing for Tel Aviv, on June 25, 2025. (Courtesy)
July 7, 2025, 5:09 pm
Government agrees it must help pay costs borne by travelers, airlines due to Iran war
Economic Affairs Committee head demands plan within 10 days for compensating passengers stranded when Israeli airspace closed, without putting the whole burden on airlines
By Sharon Wrobel
An El Al flight takes off from Ben Gurion International Airport, outside of Tel Aviv, June 19, 2025. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
June 24, 2025, 11:19 pm
Israel reopens skies for air travel, returns international airport to full operation
Following Iran ceasefire, Ben Gurion Airport will operate without restrictions; six foreign carriers want to resume flights, while others will stay away this summer
By Sharon Wrobel
File: Parked airplanes at Ben Gurion Airport, August 8, 2020 (Olivier Fitoussi/FLASH90)
June 17, 2025, 10:09 pm
Israeli airlines set to launch repatriation flights Wednesday to bring citizens home
El Al, Arkia and Israir scheduled to operate a limited number of flights to pick up stranded Israelis from nearby Cyprus and Greece, and some European destinations
By Sharon Wrobel
Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, stands empty after Israel closed its airspace due to the outbreak of war with Iran, June 13, 2025. (Roy Alima/Flash90)
June 16, 2025, 12:26 pm
150,000 Israelis stranded abroad; airline heads warn government rescue plan falls short
Outbound travel to remain banned in apparent effort to prevent crowds at Ben Gurion Airport, already a target; flights to Israel not expected to begin before Thursday at earliest
By Sharon Wrobel and ToI Staff
An El Al plane parked at Ben Gurion Airport, May 7, 2025. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
June 15, 2025, 3:03 pm
Stranded Israelis told not to go to Larnaca, Athens; not to use Egypt, Jordan land crossings
With airspace closed amid conflict with Iran, authorities say it will take weeks before the tens of thousands of Israelis stuck abroad will get home; El Al works on rescue flight plan
By Sharon Wrobel
A drone carries medical samples near Ziv Medical Center in Safed on October 18, 2020. (David Cohen/FLASH90/File)
November 25, 2024, 6:20 am
Pressed into service by war, national drone delivery project moves closer to takeoff
Created to build system tracking and managing UAVs that one day may fill Israel’s skies, state-run Drone Initiative shifts on the fly to keep drones out of IDF’s way after Oct. 7
By Zev Stub
An Israir flight takes off from Ben Gurion International Airport, outside of Tel Aviv, August 25, 2024. (Yossi Aloni/ Flash90/ File)
November 14, 2024, 7:48 pm
Israir and Arkia gear up to challenge El Al’s monopoly on flights to North America
Israel’s smaller airlines will need to lease wide-bodied aircraft and bring in crews for transatlantic flights; also seeking changes to law on compensation for canceled flights
By Sharon Wrobel
Israel and Turkey sign an outline civilian aviation agreement on July 7, 2022. (Boaz Oppenheim, GPO)
July 7, 2022, 4:53 pm
Israel, Turkey sign updated aviation agreement as bilateral ties continue to improve
Accord now needs domestic approvals, which could be held up because of Israeli coalition’s collapse; Israeli carriers still locked out of lucrative market over security spat
By Lazar Berman
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during his meeting with the prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán and Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babis, in Jerusalem, on March 11, 2021. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)
March 14, 2021, 7:52 pm
PM sought to bar Jordan from using Israeli airspace as payback for plane delay
Recognizing massive diplomatic repercussions of move, aviation officials managed to stall until Netanyahu changed his mind, reports say
By ToI Staff
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